Utah Hockey Club makes NHL draft splashes by trading for Sergachev and Marino

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ryan Smith, the energetic and determined owner of the NHL’s newest franchise, was perhaps telegraphing the Utah Hockey Club’s approach when asked to assess his team’s gradual rebuilding timeline.

“I like the position that we’re in,” Smith said. “And so I think that’s something that we’re always checking in on. And that’s the plan, until it’s not the plan.”

Smith made his comments on Friday, less than an hour before the first round of the NHL draft. Some 18 hours later, and about a half-hour into the second round Saturday, it became clear Utah’s plans shifted noticeably into the fast lane since relocating from Arizona to Salt Lake City.

Making two trades minutes apart on Saturday, Utah acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay in a blockbuster and got fellow defenseman John Marino from New Jersey.

“Woke up this morning after I slept for a good two minutes and said, ‘Let’s shock the world,’” general manager Bill Armstrong said.

Whatever constraints existed under former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo have been lifted by Smith, the 46-year-old who made his fortune in the tech industry, and now is transforming Utah’s sports landscape as owner of the NBA Jazz and MLS team Real Salt Lake.

A buzz rippled through the crowd at Sphere when NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced the Sergachev trade early in the second round. Utah sent defenseman J.J. Moser, forward prospect Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-rounder and the 199th pick in this year’s draft.

Daly was back at the microphone not long after to inform fans and the rest of hockey that Utah was not done, getting Marino and the 153rd pick from the Devils for No. 49 and Edmonton’s second-rounder in 2025.

Though Smith and Armstrong cautioned they would not be free-spenders once free agency opens on Monday, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to improve the team in other ways during the two-day draft weekend.

The club entered the draft with 13 picks, and Armstrong delivered on his intention to use some of them as assets. After using the team’s first pick by selecting forward Tij Iginla — son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla — at No. 6, Armstrong traded three picks to Colorado in moving up 14 spots to select center Cole Beaudoin at No. 24.

“It’s worked out well, just as we drew it up,” Armstrong said.

Trading Sergachev and his $8.5 million annual salary through 2031 could clear space for Tampa Bay to keep longtime captain and face of the franchise Steven Stamkos, a pending free agent. The Lightning also sent forward Tanner Jeannot to the Kings in a separate move, which frees up money for defenseman Victor Hedman’s pending contract extension to keep him with the organization for the foreseeable future.

In Arizona, the Coyotes were known for being in a perennial rebuilding mode in making the playoffs just once in the past 12 years, while relocating from one arena to another before finally moving to Salt Lake City in April.

It’s a whole new world in Utah, where the so-called Hockey Club (for this season) has already generated 30,000 season-ticket deposits for a made-for-basketball facility, the Delta Center, with a seating capacity of 16,200 for hockey — and not all directly facing the ice. A permanent name is coming before 2025-26, with Utah HC, Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom and Yeti the six possibilities.

“We’re the youngest state (by demographic), and we’re also the fastest growing. So if you look at both of those metrics, that’s something the NHL is going to be able to look at and say, ‘Wow, like we made the right move,’” Smith said.

For Smith, it’s a matter of balancing his enthusiasm and patience.

“You’re managing polar opposite emotions at all times. Like, you want to win now, but you want to win for the long term. And you want to create this culture,” he said. “But we’re young, and the future looks really bright.”

Brighter still after this weekend.

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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